Back To School

Believe it or not, back to school is officially here! With the first day of school right around the corner, I am working like a maniac to get everything ready. I am sure most of you are going through exactly what I am, but every year it still feels like it's my first. Will it ever end?

But, despite all of the hard work, I truly look forward to the start of the new year, and can't wait to meet all of my new babies next Monday. Until then, I have made use of my hard earned money and bought myself quite a few things during this weeks Back To School Sale on TPT. Did ya'll participate? I sure hope so! There were killer deals, and I definitely racked up. So tonight, I am so excited to share some of my recent purchases, as well as a few of my newest products, with you!

As you can see, I was feeling pretty ambitious at the time. I can't wait to put all of these great new units and clip art packs to good use! If any of the products I've posted tickle your fancy, just click on their picture and it'll lead you write to their product page!

Up next, I have a few fulfilled promises for you. If you remember, I recently posted my math homework packet with the assurance that a phonics and reading comprehension packet would be following shortly. Well guess what folks?! I am proud to say I have officially finished and posted both units this week, and I absolutely cannot wait to use them!

All three of my packets (math, phonics, and reading comprehension) were made to be used together or individually. My phonics packet includes practices pages for every phonics skill addressed in 1st grade, and includes enough practice pages to use for homework and extra to also use at school. If you've got homework covered already, no problem. This packet is absolutely PERFECT for small group instruction, intervention, or assessment. The best part about this packet is that it assesses decoding, fluency, comprehension, AND writing. It is balanced literacy at its finest.

Here's a peek at just one of the fun pages included in the packet. There are several pages that are found repeatedly throughout the packet, but each phonics skill also comes with uniquely themed practice pages to help maintain student engagement!

For an even better look at this packet, you can click on the picture above to view the product page.

My next unit was definitely a labor of love. It really stretched my creativity and allowed me to really take a long hard look at the comprehension skills my students need to acquire. And thus....Read Your Heart Out! was born. Just thinking about this newest packet gets me excited! 

In this comprehensive unit, I included enough close reading passages to last all school year. The passages vary in genre and theme, and are just wonderful for homework, small group, or whole group instruction. Each passage contains activities for 4 days of reading. This set-up encourages students to read, and most importantly, RE-READ! Then, students are challenged to ask and answer questions, identify story elements, retell the stories, analyze vocabulary, identify synonyms/antonyms, search for phonics chunks and SO much more! What I love most about this packet is that it was created in conjunction with my phonics packet and reinforces all of the skills. In addition, the texts gradually increase in difficulty. Early passages focus on CVC words and sights words, and gradually move to more complex texts.

These packets have truly been an answer to my homework prayers. I'm sleeping easier knowing that I will have one less "to-do" off my list each week. For a closer look at my close reading packet, you can click the picture below! And, as always, both products will be on sale for the next week! Hooray for back to school!

I'll be back again soon to show you how I organize all these papers to go home! Until then, I will be busy printing and laminating all the new goodies I purchased! To see more fabulous finds from the TPT sale, check out BlogHoppin's linky!

Happy Teaching!